Papps comes of age with classy maiden century

Former New Zealand Under-19 batsman Michael Papps was one of a number of under-achievers in the Canterbury team last season.

Year-round cricket since his teenage years for age group, Academy and A teams had left the 22-year old jaded, but taking the winter off has seen the determined youngster return with vengeance.

"I had a bit of a break over the winter and that freshened me up and now I'm feeling positive. It's a new season and a new start and I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. There's a really positive atmosphere amongst the team and it's been good so far," Papps told CricInfo after his maiden first-class century.

He scored 158 not out after coming in at 11/1 against Otago, batting 456 minutes and facing 347 balls in his chanceless innings, the highest of the new domestic season.

"The thing I've been working on is playing nice and straight and without going across the pad too much, and working on hitting it down the ground as much as I can," said Papps, who was caught behind down the leg side for 50 in the first innings of the opening match this year.

In Christchurch club games this season Papps has also been a standout performer with the bat and behind the stumps. He has scored 312 runs at 104 and made 24 wicket-keeping dismissals and is well on the way to defending his Senior Player of the Year title from last year.

Now 22, Papps began 2001/02 with a new attitude, aiming to translate his brilliant club and age group form onto the first-class stage. He told CricInfo, "Especially last year I'd be batting for maybe an hour at the end of a session, then it was not so much a rush of blood, but I'd make a mistake, so I'm working hard on concentrating on every ball."

Batting for over a day at the crease was a major step forward for Papps, who said, "It was not so much a barrier, but it has taken a lot longer than I would have hoped to get the first one. I'm pretty happy with my concentration. It probably was something last season that wasn't going so well for me. I've been working hard on batting sessions and runs always come as long as you're out there."

Papps had just one major partner in Chris Harris (70) who helped him add 127 for the fourth wicket. The next highest scorer was Aaron Redmond, as Papps scored over half of Canterbury's runs. After Redmond went his new found responsible outlook accounted for 53 of the last 66 runs scored, which guided Canterbury to a potentially match-winning 101-run lead.

His previous career best of 84 was scored at the same ground against the same opposition in February 2000.

A fifty against Wellington in the season's first game signalled the diminutive right-hander's form.

From a well-known Christchurch cricketing family, younger brother Tim is on the fringe of the Canterbury second team.

Papps, early promise was best shown by the 64 and 117 he made against England Under-19 at New Plymouth in February 1999, followed with 127 in the next game of the series at Wellington.

Along with Jarrod Englefield, Papps was one of the most promising batsmen of the year but foundered in the first-class game with three ducks in his first four innings. The friends spent the winter at the New Zealand Academy at Lincoln.

Given a longer run in 1999/00 Papps, who has occasionally been used as a wicket-keeper in one-day games by Canterbury, scored 305 runs at 43.57 with three fifties. Dropping down the order suited him, "That's a thing that has really helped me focus and concentrate a bit more this year, being given the opportunity to bat three."

He broke into the New Zealand A team scoring 220 runs at 27.50 in their winter tour of England in 2000.

However, in 2000/01 he struggled for form, making 335 runs at 23.92 in the Shell Trophy before being dropped and returning to club cricket with East Christchurch Shirley. He made just a single fifty, and scored only 66 runs in four Shell Cup matches.

The next aim for Papps is to win again in Canterbury colours. He was part of Canterbury's last side to win first class game as a 19-year-old playing just his second game, making a pair in Canterbury's 302-run win against Hamilton in March 1999.

On the chances of win number two, the thoughtful Papps said, "If we can get that we'll be away, hopefully. We've got the makings of being a good team."